Parenting Products
Audio and Video
Heidi J. Bauer, MSW, LCSW, a therapist specializing in working with service members and their families, presents an overview of her four simple drills to help reverse the symptoms of stress. Available as a playaway, these drills can help slow your heart rate, lower your blood pressure and reduce the level of stress hormones in your body. By doing these drills regularly, you can lower your baseline stress level and be better prepared to deal with stress in the future.
This video program is designed specifically for older children and adolescents as they face military deployment in their family. This product was developed by military pediatricians and adolescent medicine specialists to help military youth understand that they are not alone when they experience family separation. It also provides tools for young people to use to begin to understand and cope in healthy ways with their feelings and emotions related to a military deployment. The video program utilizes the cutting edge concepts of psycho education and youth centeredness in order to emphasize prevention and resilience whenever possible.
Book/Booklets
Bullying Is a Pain in the Brain is a resource for both kids and adults that provides practical tips for coping with bullies and suggestions for how to become “Bully-Proof.”
This children's board book is designed to support young children when a parent is deployed or during other stressful times. Each page has a window for you to insert personal photos.
This board book can provide reassurance and comfort to a young child who is separated from a military parent because of deployment. Through this book, parents and caregivers can help keep hearts and minds open for a successful reunion. Each book has an insert in the back for a photo of the deployed parent so that the child can see daddy while thinking about him.
This board book can provide reassurance and comfort to a young child who is separated from a military parent because of deployment. Through this book, parents and caregivers can help keep hearts and minds open for a successful reunion. Each book has an insert in the back for a photo of the deployed parent so that the child can see mommy while thinking about her.
Divorce is painful and confusing for everyone involved, especially kids. Using gentle humor, Trevor Romain gives kids practical, helpful advice for dealing with the pain of divorce - such as knowing that it isn't their fault, that they shouldn't take sides or hide their emotions and that talking to friends can really help.
CDs and DVDs
In this CD, fatherhood expert and former Marine Airman Brott talks about ways to stay close with your child from before you deploy to after you return.
On this recording, former Navy psychologist Dr. Heidi Squier Kraft and women across the service branches discuss their challenges and successes as mothers who deployed. Please note, the zip file is 65.4 MB and may take time to download.
Multimedia outreach resources leverage the power of the beloved Sesame Street Muppets to provide families and young children ages 2 to 8 with critically-needed resources to help reassure children that they will be cared for, and that, together with their families, they can learn ways to cope with the stress and changes associated with divorce or separation and have hope for the future. This research-based initiative offers tools to help young children cope with and understand divorce at an age-appropriate level and aid families in managing the impact of this tough transition.
"Talk, Listen, Connect: When Families Grieve" is a DVD resource kit featuring Elmo, other Sesame Street Muppets and the courageous stories of families who have experienced the death of a parent. The bilingual (English and Spanish) kit includes a DVD, children’s storybook and guide for parents and caregivers.
"Little Children, Big Challenges" introduces the skills and strategies young children (ages 2 to 5) needed to build resilience and persevere through day-to-day challenges, such as beating the bedtime blues, trying new things and making new friends, and significant transitions and situations, such as mean or aggressive behavior, sibling rivalry and relocation. This bilingual family guide contains tips and strategies and includes a Sesame Street DVD featuring a Muppet story and music videos with real children and families.
This bilingual multimedia outreach program is designed to support military families with children between the ages of 2 and 5 as they cope with the feelings, challenges and concerns experienced during different phases of deployment.
Educational Items
Bullying Is a Pain in the Brain is a resource for both kids and adults that provides practical tips for coping with bullies and suggestions for how to become “Bully-Proof.”
This children's board book is designed to support young children when a parent is deployed or during other stressful times. Each page has a window for you to insert personal photos.
This board book can provide reassurance and comfort to a young child who is separated from a military parent because of deployment. Through this book, parents and caregivers can help keep hearts and minds open for a successful reunion. Each book has an insert in the back for a photo of the deployed parent so that the child can see daddy while thinking about him.
This board book can provide reassurance and comfort to a young child who is separated from a military parent because of deployment. Through this book, parents and caregivers can help keep hearts and minds open for a successful reunion. Each book has an insert in the back for a photo of the deployed parent so that the child can see mommy while thinking about her.
Divorce is painful and confusing for everyone involved, especially kids. Using gentle humor, Trevor Romain gives kids practical, helpful advice for dealing with the pain of divorce - such as knowing that it isn't their fault, that they shouldn't take sides or hide their emotions and that talking to friends can really help.
Fact Sheets
November is Military Family Month. Use the information highlighted in this downloadable fact sheet to help you celebrate the strengths of military families and their contributions to the military community and our nation.
Toolkits
You play a critical role in distributing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members and their families. The majority of today’s service members and their families do not live on a military base, and civilian support agencies and programs are more involved than ever in supporting military families. Families in every stage of military life rely on you for services and support, including everything from counseling to child care. As you work with service members and their families, we hope you will use the information in this toolkit to help us share important information about Department of Defense family support policy.
Department of Defense service providers play a critical role in providing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members and their families. You provide services and support to military families around the world, at every stage of military life. These families rely on you as part of their trusted network of support, and your contributions directly impact mission readiness. We designed this toolkit to assist you in your role, helping you ensure all families can access the services they need to manage the challenges of everyday life and those associated with military life.
Military leaders play a critical role in providing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members, their families and survivors. The Family Readiness System assists you in preventing, identifying and addressing family readiness challenges within your force. This toolkit was developed to help you share important information about family readiness policy with the ultimate goal of helping you maintain a mission-ready force and optimize military family readiness.
Public affairs officers play a significant role in providing timely, accurate and relevant information to service members and their families. You are responsible for ensuring consistent messaging about your branch’s family programs and services and ensuring alignment with the Office of the Secretary of Defense’s family program messaging. Given your unique and sometimes challenging role, we designed this Family Readiness System Toolkit specifically for you.
The Special Care Organizational Record for Children with Special Health Care Needs is specifically designed as an organizing tool for parents with children with special health care needs. It is intended to help track and organize your child’s information to make it easier for someone to care for your child in your absence.
The Department of Defense Special Needs Parent Tool Kit has comprehensive information and tools that are geared toward helping military families with children with special needs navigate the maze of medical and special education services, community support, benefits and entitlements.
This Trevor Romain comfort kit for kids is centered on the Parents Choice Gold Award-winning DVD, "What on Earth Do You Do When Someone Dies?" Despite the serious subject matter, kids of all ages are enlightened and encouraged as Romain's characters learn how to move toward grief instead of running away from it. This comfort kit includes a DVD, book, a journal for self-expression, a stuffed animal for comfort, a special memory box for keepsakes, and a booklet for caregivers.
Find even more helpful resources and information in the
Parenting military life topic area of Military OneSource.